"Hieratic School" by Mikhail Shvartsman in the Russian Museum

Within a month (from May 24 to June 25), an exhibition of works by the Soviet underground will be held at the State Russian Museum. Unofficial painting of the second half of the 20th century will be presented by the works of the outstanding artist Mikhail Shvartsman and the canvases of his best students.

Created by the avant-garde master, the “Hieratic School” preserved and embodied the philosophical ideas of the divine root cause of all things on earth. The artist’s works, called by him “hieratures”, are filled with religious content, the search for harmony with the world. Each canvas is a fragmentation symbol of faith, a sacred work that marks the approach of a new century. Where man is more than a screw in the system. And happiness is not an illusion, but an urgent need for a healthy psyche.

The composition of the exhibition was more than 50 paintings. On the example of paintings and graphic works of different periods, visitors will be able to trace the formation of the art school of Mikhail Shvartsman and his students. In different years, under his charismatic influence fell: Anatoly Chashchinsky, Valery Bashinin, Gennady Spirin, Dmitry Gorokhov, Mikhail Fedorov, Dmitry Komissarov, Vladimir Teplukhin, Nikita Medvedev and others.

The exposition is also interesting because Mikhail Shvartsman was considered the most prominent representative of the Soviet avant-garde of the “second wave” (after the 1960s. XX century). Being one of the "renegades" of official culture, he strove to delve into the essence of things as much as possible, to follow the path of self-knowledge and with his creativity to push the gray masses to search for the Present.

Eve Istr